Glacial Systems & Landscapes: Glacial Systems
- Created by: IssyCalderwood
- Created on: 20-12-18 20:56
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- Inputs
- Glacial Systems
- Stores
- Glacier, Meltwater (on and within), Rock
- Flows
- Meltwater, Debris
- Outputs
- Meltwater, snow (evaporate), Sublimate, Snow (blown away), ice falls from snout (icebergs)
- Glacial Budget
- Input = accumulation
- Output = ablation
- Budget = shows increase/decrease, advance/retreat
- Upper glacier = more accumulation = zone of accumulation
- Lower glacier = more ablation = zone of ablation
- Place where accumulation and ablation equal = equilibrium point
- Positive regime = more accumulation than ablation = advances
- A.K.A Positive Mass Balance
- High accumulation in upper zone
- Negative regime = less accumulation than ablation = retreats
- Low accumulation in upper zone
- A.K.A Negative Mass Balance
- Dynamic equilibrium = same accumulation/ablation over year
- Stays same size/position of snout doesn't change
- Side note: there are short term variations
- Over several years = overall trend is retreat, however, some years may still advance
- Shown as fluctuations on graph
- Changes in global temp over long periods affect glacial budget
- E.g Little Ice Age - very cold for hundreds of years meant overall trend during this time was increase
- Global temps rise again and glaciers start retreating
- E.g Little Ice Age - very cold for hundreds of years meant overall trend during this time was increase
- Feedbacks
- Negative = ice input increases = glacier speed up = more ice/water output = mass remains constant
- Positive = ice has high albedo if glacier retreats = less ice = less suns energy reflected = more absorbed = temp rise = further retreat
- Stores
- Snow, Condensation, Sublimation, Rock
- Glacial Systems
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